Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020-) #2

DC Comics

Writer: Paul Dini & Alan Burnett

Artist: Ty Templeton

I’ve already started my love for the Batman Animated Series. It’s one of the best and most iconic representations of the character in any form of media. One of the few issues I had with the series was that certain characters never appeared in it. This latest issue of Batman: The Adventures Continue attempts to rectify this by introducing a new character to the DCAU. Deathstroke. The mono-eyed mercenary acts almost like an evil version of Batman. He’s a master strategist, an incredible martial artist and he’s known for enlisting teens to work for him. Let’s see how Dini and Burnett handle the villain.

The issue begins much like the last issue with Batman facing down one of his rampaging rogues. This time it’s Clayface and Bruce is being assisted by Batgirl and Robin. Clayface has gone berserk due to the remake of a film he had starred in during his acting days. After a fight featuring a delightful reference to a classic episode of the show, Deathstroke intervenes. After assisting the Bat-family in defeating the monster he claims to be a friend and takes his leave. Is Deathstroke what he claims to be? Batman doesn’t think so.  As the issue goes on Deathstroke attempts to ingratiate himself with the bat’s sidekicks. What are his true intentions though?

Much like the last issue, this feels a lot like the original show. Dini and Burnett do a fantastic job writing not only the Bat-family but Deathstroke and Clayface too. The story is bound to please fans of the show while appealing to newer fans too. My main complaint about the art from the last issue was the inconsistent colour of the skies. It’s still noticeable here somewhat but it’s not as big of a problem. Part of this may be due to a larger amount of the action taking place indoors though. Still, it makes it easier to focus on the story itself. Aside from this, the art continues to be stellar. It’s a vibrant, cartoonish, and nostalgic style that’ll appeal to Batman fans of all ages.

The lettering is pretty great here too. There’s the usual stuff that you see in most comics. Certain words and phrases are in bold font to emphasize the theme. It helps show emotion in some cases too. There’s minimal use of sound effects but it means they stand out more when they do appear. We continue to get different coloured narration boxes to signify which ones belong to Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke. It’s a nice way to make each character’s thoughts and any dialogue they have while they’re off-panel more distinct. We also get a unique font and different coloured letters whenever Clayface speaks. It helps him stand out more given his brief role in the comic and causes him to seem more monstrous.

In short, another great comic in this new series from the creators of the Batman Animated Series. Dini and Burnett continue to impress with their introduction of another character to the DC animated universe. There’s terrific art by Ty Templeton and a fantastic story that continues the mystery of Jason Todd’s presence in Gotham. The cliffhanger ending does a good job of leaving you curious about what will happen next issue too. I can’t wait until the next installment of this amazing series releases and I’d happily recommend it to anyone.

Click For More Comic Reviews

Read Batman: Adventures Continue on Comixology